1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information terminal, a printing system, a control method for a printing system, and a storage medium. In particular, the present invention relates to an information terminal for outputting a printing instruction to an image formation device, a printing system including the information terminal, a control method for the printing system including the information terminal, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems which print printing data generated by using a mobile terminal as an example of an information terminal, through a network, have been known (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-185009). For example, it has been disclosed that, in a case where plural pieces of software configure a workflow and processing of a piece of software cannot be performed in the workflow, the processing of the piece of software is temporarily stopped, as described in Japanese National Patent Publication No. 2009-522647. However, a mobile terminal may have limitations in the processing ability of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the capacity of a memory. Thus, unlike a personal computer, it may be impossible for a mobile terminal to establish a large-scale print application, that is, to install and use a large-scale print application.
On the other hand, also in MFP (Multi-Functional Peripheral) applications for mobile terminals, for example, multi-functionality such as pull-print capability is required.
When the function of an application is expanded, it is common to redistribute the application having an additional function. In order to suppress bloating of an application, it is useful to configure a print application for a mobile terminal as a combination of a basic function (cooperation source) application and an expanded function (cooperation destination) application, that is, as a combination of a plurality of applications.
Various functions can be added to an MFP application for a mobile terminal by changing a cooperation destination application. However, it may be impossible for a cooperation source application and a cooperation destination application to perform processing simultaneously, due to limitations of a mobile OS (Operation System). In such a case, the cooperation source application performs a portion of processing, then passes required data to the cooperation destination application and is terminated, and thereafter the cooperation destination application is initiated and takes over the processing.
In the MFP application for a mobile terminal, when a file to be processed is downloaded from an external server, an application which is performing the download cannot be terminated until the download of the file is completed, due to limitations of the OS in the mobile terminal. This is because, if the application is terminated, the download itself is interrupted.
Accordingly, when download of a file is instructed to the cooperation source application, a user cannot move on to an operation for next processing (such as transmission of the file to be downloaded to an MFP) until the download is completed. Thus, the mobile terminal has had a problem in terms of operability.
More specifically, there have been cases where, even when a file to be printed has been determined and the contents of the file do not have to be confirmed, the user cannot perform a next operation (such as selection of a printer, printing setting, and the like) on the cooperation destination application until the download is completed, that is, until the mobile terminal acquires the file, and the user has to wait for a longer time.